Flite Test Spitfire

[Daren Cogdon]

Has anyone here built the Flite Test Spitfire using just the plans?

If so, what have you used for build materials?

I have a few sheets of the Hobbycraft 5mm foam board, but I'm not 100% certain this will be good enough - I've been told it would be heavier than the plans state.

[Bob Smitham]

Hiya Darren.

Iv'e not built the Spitfire.I have how ever built the Sparrow and Edge FT plans.I did use the original FT foam which I purchased from a UK shop Webbs in Frodsham, Cheshire.The original FT foam is around 5mm and water proof with a peelable paper covering.It I have never used the hobby craft foam but I have read of builds using underlay sheeting from DIY shops.So the hobby craft foam should do the trick.

Give it a go, maybe build the wing and see how it folds and how strong it is.None of mine have survived many outings with my flying skills though.But great fun and cheap.

[barry grubb]

I have built one from plans using 5mm foam board from "The Range". only flown it twice but it flies nicely and is good fun in the air.

[Dad_flyer]

I have one built with the Hobbycraft board (Westfoam). It is a fair bit heavier than the Flitetest board but still files well if you get the CG properly forward. This will need nose weight as there is quit a bit of area at the back. I also did a heavy acrylic paint job which did not help - it flew better before that. However it is still a lot of fun, even at my basic flying level.

The foam core itself is more rigid than the Flitetest foam, so you may be able to shed weight without losing too much stiffness if you remove the paper from the inside. It does not peel off well, you need water or steam.

[Daren Cogdon]

Cheers for the info, folks.

I have the plans printed out, so will maybe have a look over the Christmas period.

[Lima Hotel Foxtrot]

I've built several of the FT designs now, all with Hobbycraft foamboard, and they have been fine. The Foam is denser, but it takes a knock very well, and given that the weight difference is evenly distributed I have not noticed any worse flying characteristics. The planes may need to be flown faster due to a slightly higher wing loading, but not noticably so because these planes are so light anyway. I have even hovered FT Flyers nose-in to a stiff breeze.

I have built the Mini Speedster kit in the brown FT foam, and it was a frustrating business: The paper comes off way too easily, the foam is less rigid and spraying the waxy coating is a pain.

The Hobbycraft stuff I weighed came out at 6g for 100 sq cm, 4g of which is paper (more-or-less: my kitchen scales only measure whole grams). Steam off the paper strategically and you will gain lightness at no expense of strength.

[Daren Cogdon]

Not my video, but it makes the FT Spitfire look amazing....

https://youtu.be/Jr6LAfXu3RM

[Eric Robson]

Not a Spitfire but this is Flite Test P38 kit. The canopy is off my old Seafury not quite right but better than a lump of foam it went together in a couple of days a bit crude but according to their website great flyers. I will try to make it look better as the weather is no good for flying at the moment.

[Daren Cogdon]

That looks good.

[Eric Robson]

Hi Daren, The front piece as supplied is very crude I am going to make one out of pink foam .The spinner is from a Spitfire and I only have 1 so need to get another. I think the concept is good for a fun plane the kits are pricey for what they are but by the time the handling charges and middle man money goes on it is to be expected .

[Daren Cogdon]

So I've started building the FT Spit from Westfoam, just to see how it goes.

[Daren Cogdon]

Wings are about 50% done.

 

Fuselage about 75% done.

[SIMON CRAGG]

I have recently built the FT Vulcan, F22, Viggen, Versa and Long EZ. All EDF powered.

 

The building methods take a bit of getting used too, and the models are a bit "crude", but they all fly very well.

 

All built from free plans and excellent "how to" videos.

 

All in all, great FUN, and I can understand why FT have a cult following in the states!.

[Daren Cogdon]

What's the best way to paint Westfoam?  

[Dad_flyer]

It is designed as an art board, so will take pretty much any type of colour. Be careful with the weight though. I used Child_flyer's acrylics on my FT simple spitfire and needed a lot more nose weight to balance it afterwards. Rattle cans work well and add much less weight. 

[Daren Cogdon]

So, I had a bit of a catastrophe with the Westfoam...! 

 

I had the main components of the Spitfire built, if not quite finished and assembled, and I decided to weigh the thing.

 

It came out at 320g with just two 9g servos fitted!  

 

Some serious changes needed, I think.  

[Dad_flyer]

That does not sound bad. I need to check my book for the weight of mine before I took it apart (too many flights, too much confidence, too many 'arrivals'). I think it was 800-900g so plenty of room for your power train. The weight issue just starts going the wrong way when you get the tail too heavy - which I did with thick paint. That then means quite a bit of nose weight to counter it.

 

Edit: Just looked up the instructions weight, which is ~420g without battery (using the lighter Flitetest board). From your weight, you only need to add 2 more servos, receiver, ESC, motor. The motor will be ~50g, the rest adds up to not much more. So that is about right, as long as you can keep the required nose weight down. 

 

Even if not, it flies fine a little porky.

Edited March 18, 2022 by Dad_flyer

[Daren Cogdon]

Wow, really?!  I was honestly anticipating disaster at that weight, especially as it wasn't finished! 

 

Seems a bit academic now, though, as I've started the thing from scratch again! ?

 

 

[Dad_flyer]

Popped out to the shed. Empty weight of fuselage with wing, no servos motor or even swappable motor tray thing. It does include the nose weight I needed at first, I think 30g-ish: 490g 

 

My book says my all up weight was 850g without battery. 1007g flying!

 

Waaaay over the ultralight design, but still not actually heavy for a 41" span Spit. It did not have unlimited vertical though!

[Dad_flyer]

Reading that back, I don't quite see how I added 350g with the motor etc, but that is what it says.

Edit: found the bag of removed entrails, everything except the servos: 340g

 

490+340+servos=870.

 

Wow.

Edited March 18, 2022 by Dad_flyer

[Daren Cogdon]

So I might have got away with it after all?

 

Hmm.

 

No matter.

 

The second version of this will have the 5mm Westfoam used for the fuselage, but some 3mm for the wings.  I've seen another example built with this, and apparently it flies quite well.

 

However, I still have some 5mm left over, so might try again using that.

Edited March 18, 2022 by Daren Cogdon

[Dad_flyer]

Light will be better, just heavier is not toooo bad ?.

 

There is plenty of strength in the wing, so thinner foam sounds like a plan.

[Daren Cogdon]

So, partway through building the second version of the Westfoam, I decided that I would finish building the first one (even though I scrapped the wings!) to see if I could do it.

 

 

[Daren Cogdon]

Out of interest, what size of motors have people used in their Spits?  

 

I think the motor I had in mine (built from the SBK) was a bit too piddly for the size/weight.  The spec states about 1100kv.

 

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Daren Cogdon

[Dad_flyer]

My overweight version flew first on a 2830-1000kv with a 9x5 floppy plastic prop (I think, it may have been 10x6). It was ok, but needed to be flat out a lot of the time.

Flew much better on 2830-1300kv with 9x5 prop (~230W). That was nice.

3s2200 battery, as in the plans.

Edited March 26, 2022 by Dad_flyer